Dubai: A Damning Portrait

Jaw Dropped

It’s a shocking account. And it’s almost too much to believe.

I’ll admit my immediate reaction leaned toward skepticism. Part of it is that — to me — Johann Hari’s writing comes off scripted, the neatly framed and overly witty words of someone who knew what he wanted to write before he stepped off the plane.

And part of it is that I simply hope the picture he paints isn’t accurate.

* A slave labor system where South Asian construction workers and East African housekeepers are lured to Dubai by third-party recruiters, only to have their passports confiscated, promised wages halved or withheld, and every waking hour conscripted.

* A body of expats that delight in the hedonism the socioeconomic order allows them, living with a constant buzz on and complaining that there are too many Indians throwing themselves in front of their SUVs in a last-ditch effort to escape the system.

* An ocean — Dubai’s biggest tourist draw — darkened with raw sewage as the delicate, super-arid environment begins to collapse under the weight of forced modernity.

Please tell me these caricatures were lifted from some sci-fi dystopia, not the streets of reality.

Speak Up

Matador Abroad’s Tim Patterson already put out a call for on-the-ground voices from Dubai. I’d like to renew that invitation — though, if The Independent‘s article is any indication, those voices will probably need to be “recently-left-the-ground.”

Have you traveled to or lived in Dubai? How does your experience square with The Independent‘s exposé of the city’s “dark side“?

Speak up in the comments, or email me directly at hal[at]matadornetwork[dot]com to discuss telling your story in a Trips feature.